Home For Christmas
by A.Baroness
Summary: Ever since she was a little girl, Daphne only had one wish for Christmas. One-shot.


**A/N** : MERRY CHRISTMAS YOU GUYS! I haven't written for this fandom in ages (sorry) and then this happened. Dedicated to all my fellow Frasier people. You guys know who you are ;)

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When Daphne Moon was a little girl, all she wanted for Christmas was a doll house. In a house full of boys she was used to toy cars, balls of all kinds, marbles and other things her brothers loved. There were no dolls. Every time Daphne got one, one of her brothers would find it, throw it around like a football, before eventually destroying it. Most times were accidents. Only her brother Simon could be cruel enough, sometimes, to deliberately hurt her and do it on purpose. So eventually, Daphne stopped asking for dolls. She never stopped loving them, though. Then, one cruelly cold December day, she saw it; the doll house in the middle of the toy shop window. Daphne's feet stopped, frozen to the ground, mesmerized by the sight, without conscious thought. Her hands met the resistance of the hard, cold window that separated her from the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Her nose, pressed against the glass, created a dense fog, coloring the scene in a strange wonderland of its own. "Daphne!" Her mother's voice rang in her ears from somewhere, maybe far away, possible close by. "Come on, now. We don't have bloody time!" Daphne, however, could not move. Her feet would not let her step away. Two stories, she thought, with lights strung up in every window. The house of her dreams; not just a doll house, she knew, but so much more. She just didn't have the words for it yet. All she knew at that moment was that she wanted this doll house. If she ever really wanted something, it was this. For this year's Christmas list, and the next seven, the doll house was the only thing she wished for. Every year. "We don't have the time, Daphne," her mother dragged her away, almost tearing the girl's coat, "this is a silly thing to want anyway." Eventually Daphne realized that her mother, on this cruelly cold, decidedly dreary December day, was right.

Daphne reminded herself that she loved her job. She loved working with Mr. Crane, living with him and Dr. Crane and of course just being around the other Dr. Crane. Right now, though, those thoughts were hard to come by. It was the eve before Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve eve, the younger Dr. Crane had joked earlier. He wasn't always funny, Daphne chuckled to herself, but he had his moments. Maybe if she were stuck in traffic because of him, Daphne wouldn't be as angry. Sugary Christmas songs dripped from the radio, covering her in an unsolicited melancholy. She would have turned off the radio, but it was the only thing that was keeping her sane here on the road, amidst the other drivers, all waiting to pass. It was Dr. Crane's fault of course. The weather forecast had clearly warned them about the snow storm, the weather man asking people to stay home if possible. She had looked at Dr. Crane, with hopeful eyes, but all he'd said was for her to leave as soon as possible so that she could beat the weather. She hadn't. Why did he need a special brand of cereal anyway? And if it was so special, why couldn't he buy it himself? He tended not to trust people with his special interests. Not even his brother sometimes.

The snow fell relentlessly, the road already covered with a thick, white blanket. Up in the sky, the sun was fighting a losing battle, making room for night time. Daphne wanted to get home. There was food to be prepared, cookies to be baked, and presents to be wrapped. Sitting in a car for hours had not been in her plans, not at all. She watched as a couple of cars turned and took the nearest exist, unable to wait any longer. Daphne didn't know this area well and leaving this street could mean getting lost. So Daphne waited. And waited. Finally she decided nothing could be worse than this. She set her blinker, carefully turned on the slippery snow, and made her exit.

The darkness spread faster than the snow. The few flakes that were still falling danced joyously in her headlights. Daphne wished she could be as happy, because right now she had no idea where she was. The area was unfamiliar to her. The only reason she kept driving were the houses. All the beautiful houses! Decorated in cheerful Christmas spirit, they were lined like lights around the tree. Daphne sighed and slowed down her car. She was going to get home late anyway; the least she could do was enjoy it. As she kept driving, the houses became fewer, with bigger, empty gaps in between. Just as Daphne was about to turn around, maybe ask for directions, she saw it.

"It can't be," She mumbled, steering her car forward and only stopping when she was right in front of the house. Daphne turned off the car without a thought and got out. The cold hit her in the face and she couldn't have cared less at that moment. Warmth spread within her, like warm honey, like a blanket put around her shoulder, when she stood there. It was her house. It was the house she'd seen that day in a small shop in Manchester, England. The same awe filled her now, the same sense of belonging; a feeling of it being right.

"How is this possible?" Daphne whispered into the darkness. The snow, as if answering her, started coming down harder now. Two stories, she thought looking up, with lights strung in every window. Daphne smiled. She hoped that there was a family inside, a big one, preparing to celebrate with each other soon. In another life, as beautiful as this house, she lived there. With her husband and their four children, two boys and two girls, their tiny dog and maybe a cat, too. Daphne could see it so clearly now. She could see it all. If she listened closely enough, yes, she heard the sound of children's laughter.

"Miss? Are you here to look at the house?" The voice burst into her fantasy, made it burst, and brought her back to reality. And the reality was that she had walked up right to the front door. Daphne turned to the elderly man, his head tilted to one said, looking at her questioningly.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't realize I was walking towards the… I'm truly sorry. This house is just so beautiful. So…" Daphne touched the door against the will. Just once she wanted to feel it being real under her fingers. The concrete, warm feel of it sent shivers down her spine, covered every part of her body in goose bumps. It was real.

"No need to apologize," he was holding a shovel, "We had people look at the house earlier. A family. They weren't interested cause it's not big enough." He snorted.

"I – the house is for sale?" Daphne's heart started beating furiously.

"It sure is. I thought that's why you're here." His eyes narrowed, suddenly suspicious of Daphne's behavior and intentions.

"No. I mean yes. I fell in love with this house forever ago," She sighed; she knew, no matter what the price, she would never be able to afford it. Someone else would get it. Just like her doll house. "I just had to see it up close, I suppose." She chuckled and the man didn't know her well enough to hear the strain in it.

"You don't want to look inside?" Daphne smiled at him, the sadness now apparent in her quivering lips, in the way her eyes sparkled.

"No," she said, "I wish I could. But no."

"Too bad." The man tipped his hat and Daphne watched him as he disappeared behind the house again. A moment later she could hear the sound of snow being shoveled. She ran back to her car, almost slipping twice in the process, and drove away. She just needed to get away from here. In the middle of the town – where am I? She wondered in despair – she finally stopped and asked for the way back to Seattle. The woman, a small child so bundled up that Daphne couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl clinging to her leg, easily gave her the directions.

"Thank you," Daphne told her honestly and before the woman could walk away, she added, "I'm sorry, but what is this town called?"

"Oh, you're in Paradise."

"Sorry?" The woman laughed.

"Our town. We call it Paradise."

When Daphne got home, she pushed the box of cereal into Dr. Crane's hands as he went on endlessly about her being late. She didn't listen. He followed her into the kitchen, to her room (he was smart enough to yell at her through the door and not follow her inside), and back to the living room. The younger Dr. Crane's head turned into a tomato just watching.

"Frasier, leave her alone!" He finally snapped. Daphne looked at him in surprise before a smile appeared on her face.

"Of course you take her side." With that, Dr. Crane disappeared into his bedroom. He made sure to close the door loudly; just to make a statement.

"Thank you," Daphne sighed, sitting down to her favorite Crane man, "I love your brother, you know, but he can be so exhausting."

"I know, Daphne. May I ask… you look sad. Are you all right? Did anything happen? Frasier wouldn't let you explain, but I'm here."

"Oh Dr. Crane." Daphne wanted to tell him. So badly. The tears, though, they fell freely, heavily, almost like the snow earlier. She felt Dr. Crane put his arm around her shoulders.

"I'm here," he whispered into her hair, softly, waiting for her to be ready, "I'm here for you." And finally, as the tears subsided, she told him. She told him everything.

Christmas Day passed quickly, swiftly. Mr. Crane, always the most excited, excused himself claiming to be too tired to be awake even another minute. Dr. Crane, happy with his new reading material, went to his room. But not before he complained that he no longer had a room specifically made for reading. Finally, he was gone and it was quiet in the living room with just the younger Dr. Crane and Daphne.

"Daphne, I didn't want to say anything with dad and Frasier around. I have another gift for you."

"Oh Dr. Crane, you already gave me these beautiful earrings."

"I know, but there's something else. I couldn't fit it under the tree. Are you up for a little drive?"

"Now?" He nodded. Daphne's heart fluttered. The way he looked at her; had he always looked at her like that? She couldn't tell. Daphne knew she had often thought of him as cute, sometimes even handsome, but she'd always pushed these thoughts far from her mind. They were futile after all. Now that his divorce was final, though, she at least didn't have to feel guilty about them. She nodded, almost shyly, and soon they were on their way.

It was too dark to really see where they were going, but Daphne felt like they'd been driving for a while. Then, suddenly, it seemed familiar. The houses they were passing looked like she'd seen them before, recently. It couldn't be, she thought. It just wasn't possible.

Except it was.

Dr. Crane stopped the car in front of the house. The doll house, as Daphne had dubbed it in her mind. She looked at him and he just grinned.

"Come on." He said softly and Daphne didn't need to be told twice.

"Isn't it beautiful, Dr. Crane?" Daphne asked as they both stood there side by side. Their shoulders were touching.

"It is." But she could tell that he was looking at her, not at the house.

"Why did you bring me here?" Daphne asked, facing him. The cold wind bit into her face and she huddled closer into her scarf. A gift from Mr. Crane.

"To give you your gift." Daphne looked around. She didn't see any gifts. As she faced him again, he was dangling a set of keys in front of her.

"What?" She whispered.

"The house. It's yours now."

"Dr. Crane, no. That's not – you can't buy me a house!"

"Why not?"

"Why not?" Daphne laughed, but without humor. "Because it's too expensive! I could never pay you back. Never. It's-"

"It's a gift, Daphne. You're not supposed to pay anything back. Please take it."

"Dr. Crane, I can't. You can't go around and give people houses!"

"I don't do that. I bought one house – for you."

"Why, Dr. Crane? Why did you do that?" There was no immediate response. She watched him standing there in the cold, her own body warm now in rage, still holding the keys.

"Your story. When you told me that story, I… you deserve this, Daphne. It's your house. Whether I would have bought it or not, it belongs to you. If you can't accept it, think of the little girl in Manchester who stared at the doll house in that toy shop. Think of her."

"Oh Dr. Crane." Daphne practically threw herself at him, tears falling from her eyes, and he caught her. He held her tightly; so tightly in fact that she felt the keys in the back. Gently reminding her why they were here.

"What would I even do with a house!" Daphne laughed through her tears.

"Whatever you want." Dr. Crane told her, wiping away a few stray tears. "You wanna look inside?" Daphne stared at the house, then back at him. She nodded. Niles handed her the keys. They felt big, heavy almost. It felt right.

"You're coming with me." Daphne said and took his hand into hers. She didn't let go as they walked up to the drive way.

In front of the door, Daphne stopped. She closed her eyes, listened to the memories; her mother telling her to come along, to stop dreaming about doll houses. Her own idea to come to the USA, to make something of herself. And now here she stood. She squeezed Dr. Crane's hand and he squeezed back. There was no way she could ever thank him enough for this. None. She would spend the rest of her life trying, though.

She put the key into the lock, turned and opened it. One step inside and finally, her Christmas wish was a reality.


End file.
